Character can be defined as what we do when we know no one is watching. A football program with character is one that makes its university proud. So what have the UCLA football players been doing during their time out of the spotlight to make their university proud? They have been lifting, running, cutting, jumping, and even eating with the purpose and unyielding determination we call pre-season performance training. In short, the players have begun to lay the foundation for the program we want to be.

We began pre-season performance training immediately after spring football practice. The first week of the program started with comprehensive athletic evaluation testing. This information helped us build a training game plan for each player. We trained twice a day during the months of May and June. Players were put through strength and power sessions in the mornings followed immediately by our new customized performance nutrition program. Players then returned in the late afternoon for their speed and conditioning sessions as well as customized injury prevention programs.

The second phase of the pre-season training program began the last week in June. Our in-coming freshman joined us rounding the team out to 103 participants. Days started early with 6:00am performance training sessions and end late with 6:00pm player organized throwing drills. During our performance training sessions the players were subjected to 3 straight hours of speed/conditioning and strength/power drills.

All of the players' hard work has paid off. They showed great improvement in their testing at the end of the summer and approach the season ready to show the fruits of their labor. So the next time you bump into a player and wonder what they did with their teammates out of the spotlight to prepare for the field this fall, you'll know. As a team they...

Performed over 12,000 reps in the weight room

Hard work builds character. Smart work builds better athletes. Character will be the foundation for which all of our athletes' performance improvements are based going forward.

I would like to recognize every one of the athletic performance coaches working with football this pre-season - Craig Sowers, Karl Jordan, Jill Robinson, and John Farr. Their efforts have made this comprehensive approach to training our players possible.

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